The CU coach highlights stories such as the 2007 New York Giants, who started 0-2 and came back to win the Super Bowl, and the 1986 Buffaloes, who started 0-4 only to battle Oklahoma for the Big Eight Conference title.

Hawkins believes his team has a sprint to the tape in them, but for his Buffs to go from 0-2 to any kind of a successful season, they are going to have to leap a Grand Canyon-sized chasm between what they are and where they want to be.

The offense has been inconsistent; the defense downright awful. Toledo ran up 624 yards en route to 54 points in its shellacking of the Buffs last Friday.

To fix the defense, Colorado’s plan is to scrap its previous plan. Part of it, anyway.

This week, heading into the Wyoming game, CU coaches pared down what they asked players to know scheme-wise, in hopes they will play faster and think less.

“I think it’s just a question of trying to put too much in,” Hawkins said. “You’re trying to do such a great job of getting the guy in the exact right spot based on formation, down, distance and field position, that maybe you overdo it a little bit. And it becomes paralysis by analysis, to some degree.”

Through two games, Colorado’s defense allowed 1,000 yards and 77 points. Perhaps even more stunning, CU has allowed 16 plays of 20 yards or more, eight plays of 40 or more yards and 7.8 yards per play.

One of those big plays was Toledo quarterback Aaron Opelt’s 61-yard draw play that found the end zone when no one caught him running straight up the middle of the field.

“I got out in the open field and it shocked me a little bit,” Opelt said.

Thanks to the CU game, Opelt finds himself as the top offensive player in the nation through two games. He had 428 yards total offense against the Buffs.

Colorado’s spin this week is that the big plays can be contained, and are a small percentage of the overall effort. More than 80 percent of opponents’ plays have netted just 212 yards.

That’s where simplification comes in for the Buffs, who have been burned by players not knowing their responsibilities.

“Last week we had a lot of packages in. I think we had five different personnel (groups) in,” linebacker B.J. Beatty said. “At one time we had like six (defensive backs) on the field. We’re running back and forth. There’s a lot of confusion.

“The coach is just trying to put it in one group. Keep it simple. A couple plays here and there so everyone can get on the same page and get the job done.”

Linebacker Marcus Burton said: “I just think guys were focused on their assignments, focused on not making a mistake, not getting pulled out. You’ve got to have fun and just go out and play football.”

Hawkins, meanwhile, maintains CU’s offense is pretty much where it should be at this point.

“We put a lot of points on the board, we moved the ball, we very seldom punted, we were great in the red zone, our third downs were much improved,” Hawkins said. “So I think we’re very close.”

Overall, CU’s offensive stats aren’t horrific. The Buffs average 351 yards (78th nationally) and 27.5 points per game (61st). They average 4.74 yards per play, 5.1 yards on first down and 10.7 yards per completion.

But . . .

When those stats are broken down into halves, it is a bit more revealing.

In the first half, the Buffs have struggled to move the ball and subsequently have fallen behind. Through two games, the Buffs have averaged just 121 yards and three points in the first half.

The Buffs have scored seven touchdowns, all in the second half.

CU has almost as many yards in the two fourth quarters combined (241) as it has has in the entire two first halves (242).

Consequently, Colorado trailed 20-3 at the half against Colorado State and 23-3 at Toledo.

Still, Hawkins said he saw marked improvement on offense in Game 1, and expects that trend to continue. Against the Rockets, Colorado had 451 total yards, up from 200 against CSU.

Senior tight end Patrick Devenny said the team knows it is close to turning the corner.

“It’s not like we’re out there not doing things right,” Devenny said. “It’s just one little thing every time. In a way, that’s motivating. We know we’re so close to where we want to be.”

1. Will Colorado’s defense prevent the gashers? “Gashers” is what Colorado coach Dan Hawkins calls long gains made by the opponents’ offense. They are lethal. The Buffs allowed 11 plays of 20 or more yards against Toledo, including four of 40 or more. In the opener, Colorado State also busted four plays of 40-plus yards. That must stop.

2. Is CU’s offense certain about the scheduled time for kickoff? In its first two games, Colorado sleepwalked through the first two quarters and failed to score a first-half touchdown. Hard to believe, but the Buffs trailed Colorado State and Toledo by a combined 43-6 at halftime. Talk about having to play uphill from the get-go.

3. Will the Buffs’ revamped offensive line control the line of scrimmage? With Ryan Miller moving from right guard to right tackle, fellow sophomores Matt Bahr and Blake Behrens are expected to share time at right guard. Offensive linemen typically work at several positions, but chemistry can be an issue after a shuffling of personnel.

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